DVD Review: The Riches – Season 1

By Jeff Swindoll Jan 14, 2008, 15:18 GMT

Wayne and Dahlia Malloy spent their youth pulling cons with a traveling band of modern Irish gypsies roaming about the US. Now years later, Wayne hits a spiritual and midlife crisis and begins to question their lifestyle just as his wife, newly sprung from prison, rejoins the family. They decide to finally settle down in suburbia where they battle to live a normal life while trying to escape their former ...more

“The American dream.  We’re gonna steal it.”

Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver star in this FX series about a family of conning gypsies that literally fall into the lap of luxury when a car crashes and they stop by the side of the disaster.  It turns out to be their payday as mom and dad assume the dead couple’s identities and live the high life.

Wayne Malloy (Eddie Izzard) is a Traveller.  That’s a traveling con man to us buffers (what they call us non-Travellers).  At the beginning he’s traveling with his eldest son Cael (Noel Fisher), daughter Di Di (Shannon Marie Woodward), and young cross-dressing son Sam (Aidan Mitchell). 

They’ve just conned afresh and are on their way to their mom being released from prison when they get pulled over by the law and have to juggle their way out of it.  Dahlia (Minnie Driver) has just come off of a two year stretch and isn’t exactly pleased when she gets out an no one is there to greet her.  She’s picked up some bad habits in the clink and is currently out on parole. 

She meets up with Wayne and her family and they head to the clan gather spot.  It seems that her cousin Dale (Todd Stashwick) has assumed leadership of the clan with their leader, Earl (Red West), only barely hanging on to life after a stroke.  Dale has arranged a marriage for Di Di that the family doesn’t take kindly to.  So in the dead of night Wayne, after a beating from Dale, burgles the clan’s safe for a “loan.” 

He runs into a rival Traveller and in their R.V. chase down the highway a luxury car plunges off the side of the road.  The rival Travellers high tale it out of there, but the Malloys stop to give assistance and find that the couple has been killed in the accident.  So after a few tears, Wayne decides to assume the identity of the Riches and seemingly go against Traveller tradition (well sorta) and get a real job and settle his family into the ‘burbs in a gated community called Edenfalls.  

I recall seeing a show about the groups that the Travellers are based on and if you’ve seen the same one you might think that it’s going to be pretty hard to develop a show that folks will want to want.  I mean your main characters cruise across the land stealing money from old ladies (promising to pave their driveways, etc.) and rip the off by either doing shoddy work or not doing the work at all (if you saw the same doc as I did). 

However, conman creator Dmitry Lipkin knows what to do.  He casts two charming leads in the leads, Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver.  They’re both wonderful and attempt to steal the show.  However, they’re getting a run for their money from the great actors playing their kids, Noel Fisher, Shannon Marie Woodward, and Aidan Mitchell, and Gregg Henry who plays a sleazy businessman. 

The show is positively addictive and full of laughs and it’s a treat to watch these actors at work.  

The Riches is presented in anamorphic widescreen (1.78:1) and is enhanced for 16x9 televisions.  Special features include commentaries by Eddie Izzard and creator Dmitry Lipkin on the Pilot (disc one) and Waiting for Dogot (disc four).  Disc one contains the 9 minute “Casting Session” about how they got their stellar case, the 5 minute World Premiere on the Fox lot, and a 12 minute gag reel. 

Disc four also contains seven webisodes (about 11 minutes) of Izzard, Fisher, and Woodward in character sitting around the R.V. and discussing the secret to pulling some cons.  

The Riches is a show that is full of comedic riches and a stellar cast.  I thought it was a great show and hope that we haven’t been conned and a second season is on the way.

The Riches – Season 1 is now available at Amazon. It is available for pre-order at AmazonUK for a Feb. 18th release. Visit the DVD database for more information.